By Alexander Crowe
When most people hit the age of 70, they retire to spend time with their family, take naps and move to Florida.
But not for Steve Cummings.
Cummings was elected mayor of the city of Oshkosh this year, meaning the 70-year-old is further diving into the world of local government instead of stepping away from it.
“Basically. I wanted to keep things the way they were, if that makes sense,” Cummings said.
“The council and I decided we liked the direction things were going under Mayor Tower, and rather than have someone new come in and change it we thought it would be best for a current council member to run.”
For Steve, being mayor of Oshkosh is a dream come true. Both he and his wife, Dede, have lived in Oshkosh their entire lives, but his ties to the city on the water go back much farther than that.
Steve represents the seventh generation of his family to have lived and worked in Oshkosh. Being elected mayor, however, is a first.
“I’ve lived in Oshkosh my whole life, but I really wanted to do something that would give back to the community that has been so great to me.”
To find out why a man turning 70 would want to begin stepping into the political spotlight now, one look at his past would provide a pretty clear picture.
Steve went to Webster Stanley Middle School, as did fellow council members Steve Herman and Thomas Pech Jr.
He graduated from Oshkosh High, and ended up going to the University for a little while as well. After taking some college classes, Steve knew he wanted to do something in journalism.
“After leaving school, I got a job with the Oshkosh Northwestern,” he said.
I loved covering the news, especially when things got exciting.”
That is, until one major event forced Steve to reconsider his line of work.
“I served six years in the Marine Corps, and didn’t really enjoy all the violence and fighting. Then, while working for the Northwestern, I had to go cover the MIlwaukee Riots.”
On July 30, 1967, the city of Milwaukee erupted in riots and violence. Hundreds of people were hurt in the riots, and four people died as a result of the violent clashes with police.
“I was down in Milwaukee covering the riots,” Cummings said. “There was gunfire and tear gas, it seemed like I was back with the Marines.”
After witnessing such violence away from a warzone, Cummings says he decided it was time for a change.
Steve decided to pursue a career in advertising in marketing. He took a position with Mercury Marine helping to design their advertising and marketing campaign.
“I worked there for 20 years, and they were some of the best years of my life,” Cummings said.
“I was allowed to use creative freedom, to work with people I liked and sell a product that I felt passionate about.”
After stepping away from the company after nearly 20 years, he found something he liked doing even more.
He went on to purchase Geer Murry Advertising in Oshkosh, and began working in the city he loved so much.
Many of Steve’s clients at his new job were Oshkosh based. Therefore, he got to know the community businesses, as well as the people that lived in the city and ran them.
“I had the great opportunity to work with many people in Oshkosh, and really invest time and money into an area that I cared deeply about,” Cummings said.
When his run at Geer came to an end, Steve decide to begin yet another career in his life, applying for and obtaining his real estate license.
But the change didn’t happen overnight. He said he thought long and hard about what to do before actually making a decision.
“My feeling is that you always need to have a vision.”
That vision is what led him to run for a seat on the Oshkosh Common Council.
According to Steve, improving quality of life for the people of Oshkosh is something he’s tried to do since his days as a journalist. He says he wants to make the city a better place for everyone, regardless of the capacity in which he does it.
“Everything we work towards on the Council is focused on improving the quality of life for people in Oshkosh,” he said.
“Upgrading the education system, providing affordable housing, improving parks, these are all things the people of Oshkosh deserve.”
One big project Steve would like to see completed during his time as mayor is a rental inspection and registration program, especially in the neighborhood near the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Cummings has spearheaded programs geared towards neighborhoods in the past. He helped start the Neighborworks program, and also played a major role in the revitalization of the Middle Village through the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative.
Now, the newly elected mayor is calling for a program of the same merits to be instituted in an area where policing is low and hundreds of students walk back and forth each and every day.
“Some of those houses are terrible,” Cummings said. “The students don’t really have a choice. If they want to live off campus, they’re pretty much as the mercy of those few landlords who own all the houses in that area.”
“I don’t care how old you are, or what your income level is, everyone deserves a safe and clean place to live.”
Despite what he calls “pushback” from the landlords in the area, Cummings has a message for those who think a deal can never be worked out between the University, the landlords and the city.
“We’re already in talks,” he said. “Whether people like it or not, this is going to happen.”
But throughout his various jobs and responsibilities over the years, Steve has still maintained his competitive spirit, and it’s something he continues to utilize every day.
“If I could change one thing about Oshkosh, it’s the perception that we’re somehow second-tier to Appleton,” he said.
“Oshkosh is every bit as good as Appleton. We need to show people that.”
For now, retirement isn’t on the forefront of Steve Cummings’ mind. He’s still focused on his current job as mayor.
“If someone steps up in the future and wants to continue the work we’ve been able to do in moving this city forward, I may consider [not running for re-election]. Until then, I won’t really think about it.”
When most people hit the age of 70, they retire to spend time with their family, take naps and move to Florida.
But not for Steve Cummings.
Cummings was elected mayor of the city of Oshkosh this year, meaning the 70-year-old is further diving into the world of local government instead of stepping away from it.
“Basically. I wanted to keep things the way they were, if that makes sense,” Cummings said.
“The council and I decided we liked the direction things were going under Mayor Tower, and rather than have someone new come in and change it we thought it would be best for a current council member to run.”
For Steve, being mayor of Oshkosh is a dream come true. Both he and his wife, Dede, have lived in Oshkosh their entire lives, but his ties to the city on the water go back much farther than that.
Steve represents the seventh generation of his family to have lived and worked in Oshkosh. Being elected mayor, however, is a first.
“I’ve lived in Oshkosh my whole life, but I really wanted to do something that would give back to the community that has been so great to me.”
To find out why a man turning 70 would want to begin stepping into the political spotlight now, one look at his past would provide a pretty clear picture.
Steve went to Webster Stanley Middle School, as did fellow council members Steve Herman and Thomas Pech Jr.
He graduated from Oshkosh High, and ended up going to the University for a little while as well. After taking some college classes, Steve knew he wanted to do something in journalism.
“After leaving school, I got a job with the Oshkosh Northwestern,” he said.
I loved covering the news, especially when things got exciting.”
That is, until one major event forced Steve to reconsider his line of work.
“I served six years in the Marine Corps, and didn’t really enjoy all the violence and fighting. Then, while working for the Northwestern, I had to go cover the MIlwaukee Riots.”
On July 30, 1967, the city of Milwaukee erupted in riots and violence. Hundreds of people were hurt in the riots, and four people died as a result of the violent clashes with police.
“I was down in Milwaukee covering the riots,” Cummings said. “There was gunfire and tear gas, it seemed like I was back with the Marines.”
After witnessing such violence away from a warzone, Cummings says he decided it was time for a change.
Steve decided to pursue a career in advertising in marketing. He took a position with Mercury Marine helping to design their advertising and marketing campaign.
“I worked there for 20 years, and they were some of the best years of my life,” Cummings said.
“I was allowed to use creative freedom, to work with people I liked and sell a product that I felt passionate about.”
After stepping away from the company after nearly 20 years, he found something he liked doing even more.
He went on to purchase Geer Murry Advertising in Oshkosh, and began working in the city he loved so much.
Many of Steve’s clients at his new job were Oshkosh based. Therefore, he got to know the community businesses, as well as the people that lived in the city and ran them.
“I had the great opportunity to work with many people in Oshkosh, and really invest time and money into an area that I cared deeply about,” Cummings said.
When his run at Geer came to an end, Steve decide to begin yet another career in his life, applying for and obtaining his real estate license.
But the change didn’t happen overnight. He said he thought long and hard about what to do before actually making a decision.
“My feeling is that you always need to have a vision.”
That vision is what led him to run for a seat on the Oshkosh Common Council.
According to Steve, improving quality of life for the people of Oshkosh is something he’s tried to do since his days as a journalist. He says he wants to make the city a better place for everyone, regardless of the capacity in which he does it.
“Everything we work towards on the Council is focused on improving the quality of life for people in Oshkosh,” he said.
“Upgrading the education system, providing affordable housing, improving parks, these are all things the people of Oshkosh deserve.”
One big project Steve would like to see completed during his time as mayor is a rental inspection and registration program, especially in the neighborhood near the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Cummings has spearheaded programs geared towards neighborhoods in the past. He helped start the Neighborworks program, and also played a major role in the revitalization of the Middle Village through the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative.
Now, the newly elected mayor is calling for a program of the same merits to be instituted in an area where policing is low and hundreds of students walk back and forth each and every day.
“Some of those houses are terrible,” Cummings said. “The students don’t really have a choice. If they want to live off campus, they’re pretty much as the mercy of those few landlords who own all the houses in that area.”
“I don’t care how old you are, or what your income level is, everyone deserves a safe and clean place to live.”
Despite what he calls “pushback” from the landlords in the area, Cummings has a message for those who think a deal can never be worked out between the University, the landlords and the city.
“We’re already in talks,” he said. “Whether people like it or not, this is going to happen.”
But throughout his various jobs and responsibilities over the years, Steve has still maintained his competitive spirit, and it’s something he continues to utilize every day.
“If I could change one thing about Oshkosh, it’s the perception that we’re somehow second-tier to Appleton,” he said.
“Oshkosh is every bit as good as Appleton. We need to show people that.”
For now, retirement isn’t on the forefront of Steve Cummings’ mind. He’s still focused on his current job as mayor.
“If someone steps up in the future and wants to continue the work we’ve been able to do in moving this city forward, I may consider [not running for re-election]. Until then, I won’t really think about it.”